Increase of Maximum Life-Span in Sweden, 1861-1999

Abstract

A fundamental question in aging research is whether humans and other species possess an immutable life-span limit. We examined the maximum age at death in Sweden, which rose from about 101 years during the 1860s to about 108 years during the 1990s. The pace of increase was 0.44 years per decade before 1969 but accelerated to 1. 11 years per decade after that date. More than 70 percent of the rise in the maximum age at death from 1861 to 1999 is attributable to reductions in death rates above age 70. The rest are due to increased numbers of survivors to old age (both larger birth cohorts and increased survivorship from infancy to age 70). The more rapid rise in the maximum age since 1969 is due to the faster pace of old-age mortality decline during recent decades.

The era of centenarians: mortality of the oldest old in Sweden

“…Despite the stable mortality pattern amongst Swedish centenarians, we saw a continued increase in the maximum age at death [6]. Our observations demonstrate that the survival pattern after age 100 has not contributed to the rise of the maximum age at death and that the postponement of mortality in Sweden has not yet reached the very highest ages.…”

The effect of change in educational composition on population ageing

“…At the same time reductions in mortality rates among the older people have resulted in steadily raising the maximum age at death in industrialized countries. In Sweden the rise in the maximum age at death from 1969 to 1999 has been even more rapid than the 100 years preceding 1969 (Wilmoth et al 2000). The number of older persons in the future may increase even more than projected by statistical offices.…”

“…Mortality rates have steadily declined in Sweden and other industrialized countries over the last century (Wilmoth et al 2000;Oeppen and Vaupel 2002;Tuljapurkar et al 2000). At the same time, the analysis of the forecasts for the number of older people in Sweden that was done during the last 25 years shows a systematic underestimation of the number of older people (Lagergren and Batljan 2000).…”

Human life is unlimited – but short

“…Earlier papers, Weon and Je (2009), Aarssen and de Haan (1994), and Wilmoth et al (2000), argue both for and against a limit for the human lifespan. The arguments are based on analysis of data from the Netherlands or Sweden with maximum recorded ages 112 years or less.…”